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Kyrie Irving's Emotional Free Throws: Mavs Star Shoots Through Tears After Knee Injury
Photo credit: NBA
Kyrie Irving has always been known for his toughness, but Monday night took that reputation to a whole new level. In a moment that had shades of Kobe Bryant’s legendary grit, Irving—clearly in pain and with tears streaming down his face—stepped up to the free-throw line before exiting the game with a left knee sprain.
The injury happened late in the first quarter of the Mavericks’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Irving drove to the basket, drawing contact from DeMar DeRozan, but as he came down, his right foot landed on Jonas Valančiūnas’ foot. That caused him to lose balance, and his left knee buckled in a scary hyperextension before he crashed to the floor.
Irving immediately clutched his leg, staying down for several minutes as the Mavs’ medical staff rushed over. His teammates and even injured forward Anthony Davis helped him off the court. But before leaving the floor, Kyrie had unfinished business—his free throws.
Despite being ruled out for the rest of the game, Irving returned to the line, composed himself through visible pain, and knocked down both shots. The moment was eerily reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s famous free throws after tearing his Achilles in 2013.
“That’s just who he is. Kai’s a tough guy,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “I asked him, ‘Are you good if you leave without shooting? You’re ruled out.’ He wanted to take them.”
Dallas, already dealing with a long list of injuries—including Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and P.J. Washington Jr.—now faces even more uncertainty with Irving’s status. They also lost Jaden Hardy in the third quarter due to an ankle sprain, leaving them with just nine available players to finish the game.
One bright spot? Newcomer Kai Jones, signed to a two-way contract just hours before tipoff, stepped up in a big way, dropping a career-high 21 points with nine rebounds.
As for Irving, the Mavs provided no immediate update on the severity of his injury, but Kidd summed up the team’s situation best:
“It seems every time we get close to getting somebody back, someone goes down. We’re running out of bodies here.”
For now, Dallas and its fans can only hope Irving’s injury isn’t as serious as it looked.
The injury happened late in the first quarter of the Mavericks’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Irving drove to the basket, drawing contact from DeMar DeRozan, but as he came down, his right foot landed on Jonas Valančiūnas’ foot. That caused him to lose balance, and his left knee buckled in a scary hyperextension before he crashed to the floor.
Irving immediately clutched his leg, staying down for several minutes as the Mavs’ medical staff rushed over. His teammates and even injured forward Anthony Davis helped him off the court. But before leaving the floor, Kyrie had unfinished business—his free throws.
Despite being ruled out for the rest of the game, Irving returned to the line, composed himself through visible pain, and knocked down both shots. The moment was eerily reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s famous free throws after tearing his Achilles in 2013.
“That’s just who he is. Kai’s a tough guy,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “I asked him, ‘Are you good if you leave without shooting? You’re ruled out.’ He wanted to take them.”
Dallas, already dealing with a long list of injuries—including Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and P.J. Washington Jr.—now faces even more uncertainty with Irving’s status. They also lost Jaden Hardy in the third quarter due to an ankle sprain, leaving them with just nine available players to finish the game.
One bright spot? Newcomer Kai Jones, signed to a two-way contract just hours before tipoff, stepped up in a big way, dropping a career-high 21 points with nine rebounds.
As for Irving, the Mavs provided no immediate update on the severity of his injury, but Kidd summed up the team’s situation best:
“It seems every time we get close to getting somebody back, someone goes down. We’re running out of bodies here.”
For now, Dallas and its fans can only hope Irving’s injury isn’t as serious as it looked.
Mar 4, 2025
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